Water

Only 0.4% of the global water reserves are freshwater and thus available for the needs of animals, plants and people. Moreover, the regional distribution of freshwater is highly variable. The irrigation of agricultural land world-wide uses 70% of the available freshwater alone. Competition for the scarce resource water has increased markedly in recent years. In consequence, several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations address this global challenge. The access to clean drinking water, water quality and water use efficiency shall all be considerably improved by 2030, thus promoting economic, social and ecological development in a sustainable way.

The ifeu provides consulting services including a range of methodologies, e.g. sustainability analysis, material flow analysis and life cycle assessment (ISO 14044 & ISO 14046). Our clients include the national and international public sector, industries and NGOs. We identify potentials for both reduced water use and improved water quality in the individual field of action.